Russia fines Santa Claus for wearing a beard and moustache
Russia fines Santa Claus for wearing a beard and moustache
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Santa has had a run-in with the law in Russia with just a week left to go before his big day. He received a £150 for wearing a beard and moustache to cover his face while out and about in the Russian town of Ukhta. But if you’re worried that he won’t be able to afford to fill your Christmas stockings, it was simply an impersonator – Leonid Larichev.
![[Russia fines Santa for wearing a beard and moustache in public]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233555642-cd63.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
He is a local activist who violated rules of wearing a mask while holding a public picket. He had been walking through town dressed as Father Christmas, holding posters reading ‘Larichev for Mayor’, Barents Press reported. A judge found that wearing a mask – in this case, a beard and moustache – was worn to obscure his identity.
![[Russia fines Santa for wearing a beard and moustache in public]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_233555566-a351.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Larichev said: ‘The police approached me; I did not run away, I presented my documents, showed my face.’. It wasn’t the first time he used a Santa Claus costume while campaigning for mayor – a race which he lost. At the other demonstration, Larichev said police did not see his beard or moustache as an issue.
He said he plans to appeal the fines, which amount to £150. He didn’t get in as much trouble as one Santa Claus who was pepper sprayed for behaving erratically. Victoria police responded to reports of a man refusing to leave a hardware store in the suburb of Frankston, Melbourne in 2022.
The man assaulted officers who were forced to wrestle him to the ground and pepper-spray him. TikTok footage showed the man screaming as police officers pinned him to the ground outside the warehouse. And days ago, another man found himself in a Santa-themed situation when trying to escape police.
